LOS ANGELES – Conan O'Brien has refused to play along with NBC's plan
to move "The Tonight Show" and return Jay Leno to late-night,
abruptly derailing the network's effort to resolve its scheduling mess.

O'Brien said in a statement Tuesday that shifting "Tonight" will "seriously
damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in
the history of broadcasting," and he expressed disappointment
that NBC had given him less than a year to establish himself as host at 11:35 p.m. EST.

O'Brien is in line to make approximately $30 million from NBC
if he is replaced on "The Tonight Show" or if the show is canceled,
said a source close to the situation who spoke on the condition of
anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about it publicly.
However, the source said the sum would not apply just for moving O'Brien to a later time slot.

O'Brien said he doesn't have an offer in hand from another network.
Fox, which lacks a network late-night show, has expressed its
appreciation for him but said this week that no negotiations have been held.



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